A rich wall colour, such as Rockies Brown (2107-30) by Benjamin Moore, creates the perfect bold backdrop for a shocking pink sofa and acid-green side table in this living room. A small-scale original painting looks right at home when hung near a personality-filled tabletop vignette.

For a fast update, you can’t go wrong with big, bright-coloured accent pillows in on-trend tones. An easy way to add style on a budget!

Photographer:

Angus Ferguson

Embellish Walls

Consider adding moulding for a timeless touch.

Add classic architectural detail to a room with moulding. Packaged panel moulding is an easy and affordable DIY.

Photographer:

Angus Ferguson

Use Stacked Books As Tables

Display vases or lamps atop books.

“Use books as a propping surface to give objects or decorative pieces more importance,” advises H&H design editor Joel Bray. If the stack looks a bit lost, define it with a glass top: “Place a square piece of glass or mirror on top to create a stylish side table,” adds assistant design editor Kathryn Bala. If bookshelf space is limited, this is a great way to store books elsewhere, while still giving them function.

H&H style editor Michael Penney recommends picking up some tossed-away cans from curbs, garage sales or flea markets and making them into eclectic vases for flowers or houseplants. For deep cans, add some crumpled newspaper to the bottom to elevate the plant a bit.

“This idea from designer Summer Thornton is a great example of an easy way to give a space architectural interest, colour and pattern all in one go, while keeping the project budget manageable,” says Apartment Therapy‘s managing editor, Janel Laban. “She simply framed out a wallpapered section of the wall with painted moulding for maximum impact and minimum cost.”

Update a tired room by changing up the wall colour — or better yet, the walls, trim and ceiling. Use a mid tone on walls and a paler tint on the ceiling with trim in goes-with-everything grey as the basis for a rich, regal space. Add a complement to enhance the look: try experimenting with colour wheel opposites (think shades of red with greens, shades of blue with oranges, and shades of yellow with purples) in soft graduated shades. Here, H&H senior style editor Morgan Michener added gold-hued upholstery, embellishments, art and accessories to make lilac walls pop, with hits of black to anchor the arrangement.

“Finding a home with hidden potential is a great way to save money, especially if you’re willing to do things yourself,” says Ty Pennington, host of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. In the kitchen, adding new hardware and under-cabinet lighting to illuminate the counters better will immediately refresh the space, he adds.

A light fixture like this is most often mounted horizontally over a mirror or medicine cabinet. But here, installed vertically, it becomes an instant sconce — and when it comes to applying makeup, two bulbs are better than one.

In Japan, black is considered a colour that is used to emphasize form. Look for shapely black items such as leggy cocktail tables or a curvy webbed chair. As a finishing touch, decorate white walls with traditional calligraphic scrolls; fashioned into a kimono and hung on a bamboo pole, their inky script becomes gorgeous graphic art.

Large- and small-scale florals and stripes give this room a cohesive look. Decorating on a budget? A covered night table, painted bench and mismatched lamp bases demonstrate the charm of thrift store finds. A bench at the foot of the bed provides a space to store books.

A fabric valance like this turns a ho-hum window into a showstopper. Ribbon trim that echoes its shape creates the effect of millwork and brings an architectural element to the room. Contrast the contemporary valance with full-height drapes in a traditional pattern — and keep the look tailored by allowing them to just skim the floor.

A kitchen lighting system that layers an antique chandelier, antique wall sconces, pot lights mounted under the cabinets and a candelabra with taper candles is visually stunning but also allows the flexibility to create any type of mood. Herringbone patterned hardwood floors only add to the European country, luxe look. Framed French doors and leaded glass cabinet doors elevate the kitchen’s high style even more while milk stools used as seating around the harvest table keep it casual and comfortable.

Bold black framed windowpanes are juxtaposed with a delicate and colourful arrangement of glass bottles in various shapes and sizes, their fluid shapes a perfect contrast to the clean lines of the window and metal table.

A major appeal of the increasingly popular white-painted floor is flexibility: the neutral but fresh tone creates a clean canvas. In this oasis-like bathroom, it sets an airy and romantic mood, and the matte finish works with the white walls to give prominence to the raw wood beams and organic egg-shaped tub.

This room proves that affordable, vintage finds can add sophistication to any space. The chair was found in an antique shop with tattered, outdated pink upholstery. Stripping the stain from the wood frame and retufting and reupholstering it in neutral linen gave it a classy, Barbara Barry effect. The collection of frames are from various thrift stores and even the garbage. A few coats of matte white spray paint made them like new for a cohesive art wall. A round pedestal table found at Value Village was also transformed with two coats of black paint to become a new side table. The teal throw and patterned toss cushions add personality to an affordable white sofa from Ikea.